Improvement in safety-locks for railroad-switches



A. W. WILLCOX.

SAFETWLOCKS FOR RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Patented Sept. 5,1876.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AARON w. wrnnoox, or PLYMOUTH, NEW YonK.

' IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-LOCKS FOR RAlLROAQ-SWITCHESH Specificationforming part of Letters Patent No. 182,008., dated September 5, 1876;application filed August 4, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AARON W. WILLGOX,

of Plymouth, in the county of Ohenango, and in the State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Locks forRailroad-Switches and do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device in position forlooking a switchrail in place and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesame, the dotted lines showing the relative positions of the operativeparts as the lockingblock passes from the inner to the outer limit ofits motion.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

My invention is an improvement upon a device for locking the movablerails of rail-' road-switches in place; and it consists, principally, inthe means employed for throwing the locking-block into, and removing thesame from, engagement with the switch-rail, substantially as and for thepurpose hereinafter specified. It consists, further, in the meansemployed for locking said block in engagement with said switch-rail,substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

In the annexed drawing, A and A represent the fixed, and B the movable,rail of a switch, which at their ends rest upon and are supported by achair, 0, of ordinary construction, the arrangement being such as topermit said rail B to be moved laterally until its end will coincidewith the end of each of said rails A. When moved inward, so as tocoincide with the inner rail A, a considerable space is left between theouter side of the rail B and the raised portion or side 0 of the outerside of the chair 0, which space is filled so as to firmouter end, atthe side of the block D, is pivoted one end of a second bar, G, whichfrom thence extends downward and inward, and has its lower end pivotedupon a rod, H, that extends horizontally outward, and then upward andoutward, and has its outer end pivoted to or upon a lever, I, whichlever is substantially like the ordinary target-levers of a switch, itslower end being pivoted to or upon the cross-tie F, while its upper endis capable of motion in avertical plane toward or from the track. Uponthe side of the rod H, at the point where the bar G is pivoted thereto,is a stud, h, which projects laterally outward, and

when said rod is drawn forward by the lever I, engages with the inneredge of the bar E, near its lower end, and moves said bar and the blockD forward. Upon reversing the motion of said rod said stud engages withan arm, 6, which projects upward from the lower end, at the rear edge ofsaid bar E, and returns the latter to its inner position, after which ument of the bar E causes said block to be carried upward, outward, anddownward to the position shown by the outer dotted lines of Fig. 2,leaving the switch-rail B free to move.

Upon moving the lever I inward, the block D is first moved to theposition shown by the inner dotted lines of Fig. 2, its inner end beingagainst the side of the rail B, and its outer end elevated at an angleof about forty-five degrees, after which a continuation of the motion ofsaid lever will cause the outer end of said block to be moved downwardinto engage ment with the raised portion 0 of the chair 0, so as to locksaid rail firmly in place. A spring-catch, K, which engages with a stud,'5, upon the side of the lever I, andlocks the same in place when movedinward, and is arranged to be disengaged by the foot of the operator,completes the apparatus.

If desired, the locking mechanism described may be'connected with anoperated by the same lever which moves the switch-rail.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, whatI claim as new 2. In combination with the operating-lever is- I, thespring-catch K, arranged in the manner '1. In combination with the blockD, fitted and for the purpose substantially as shown. between the sideof the rail B and the raised In testimony that I claim the foregoing Iportion 0 of the chair 0, the bar E, provided "hair'ehereunto set myhand this 31st day of with the arm 0, the bar G, the rod H, having July, 1876.

the stud h, and the operating-lever I, said A, -W. WILLOOX. parts beingconstructed and arranged to oper- Witnesses ate in the manner and forthe purpose sub- H. G. PRINDLE,

stantially as specified. R. B. PRINDLE.

